Interview: Carmen Cusack Brings Her Major League Talent to New Musical Bull Durham at Paper Mill Playhouse

Few actors have accomplished what Carmen Cusack has: she has earned Tony Award nominations for her only two Broadway roles, as Alice Murphy in the musical Bright Star and as publisher Clare Boothe Luce in the musical Flying Over Sunset.

Cusack has been even a brighter star in regional theater and overseas, where she has played such iconic roles as Elphaba in Wicked, Christine in Phantom of the Opera, Fantine in Les Misérables, Mother in Ragtime, and Nellie Forbush in South Pacific.

Now, Cusack is taking on the sure-to-be iconic role of Annie Savoy—a woman who uses all her skills to help Minor League Baseball players—in the musical adaptation of the hit 1988 film Bull Durham at the Paper Mill Playhouse. TheaterMania recently spoke to Cusack about what she likes about the role, her real-life marriage to soap opera star Paul Telfer, and whether she really wants to be back on Broadway.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

What attracted you to the role of Annie?

I always enjoyed the film, because it’s so well written. Admittedly, the first time I watched it I was really young. It was a very sexy movie at the time, and I don’t think my mom knew what I was seeing. But I watched it again at a more mature age, and I realized that Ron Shelton [the writer of the film and the show] created this special woman who is using her female intellect and intuition, as well as her sexual prowess, to help these players make it to the Major League. I love playing good strong women, so I was thrilled when I got this role.

You first played Annie last year at Theatre Raleigh. Did you watch the movie again before you took on the role there?

I watched bits and bobs after I got the part. As an actor-singer, you hear the rhythms of other actors, and I didn’t want to do an interpretation of Susan Sarandon [who played Annie in the film]. I tend to trust my own instincts, and I am grateful that Ron trusted them as well.

How much has the show changed since its production in Raleigh?

I think we’re just connecting some dots; there’s been no substantial changes to the book or the songs. We do have one big casting change: Will Savarese is now playing Nuke, the rookie pitcher Annie takes under her wing. He is brilliant but very young, so I feel like I am seducing my kid. Luckily, it doesn’t matter to audiences, because it works onstage. This kid is going to be a star.

What do you think the show has to say about women and relationships?

Because we have a different Nuke than in the movie, the show is more about Annie cultivating his sense of poetry and literature rather than just getting a toss with him in the sheets. And then she finds Crash, who is much more on her level of intellect and soulfulness, so she has to decide if it’s her time to settle down. In fact, that’s the real question for the both of them. He’s figuring out if baseball should no longer take over his entire life—and it takes time for him to round that corner. It’s really a kind of mid-life love story.

Speaking of love stories, let’s discuss yours. You’ve been married for over a decade to Paul Telfer, who stars as Xander on Days of Our Lives. How does that work since you’re often working outside of Los Angeles?

When I am not working, my favorite part of my day is when he comes home, we have good food on the table, and we just talk about his day. I could never do what he does—or any soap opera actor does—which is to learn 60 pages overnight, come to work, and do the staging and filming in one take. It’s a special skill, especially that sort of gift of memorization, and if you have it, they keep you on the show for a long time. These days, it’s really good that one of us has stable work and can be counted on to bring home the bacon.

What’s more important to you: the part or the venue?

It’s always the role, not the venue. Theater is really therapy for me. I love to act and sing and bring those gifts together, but what I love even more is the process of collaboration. It’s so important to me that I know I am going to have fun and share an understanding of community and humanity with everyone I work with. I don’t want to be someone’s puppet on a string. On this show, I’ve felt an incredible exchange of respect from everyone—from director Marc Bruni on down!

So, how important is it to you for this show to get to Broadway?

It really matters to me that Bull Durham goes to Broadway. This is a show that is easy on the head, easy on the spirit, and easy on the eyes—especially the guys. It is the ultimate feel-good show and a bit of good old-fashioned Americana. We really need all of that right now.